Review: Blue Days by Mary Calmes

Author: Mary Calmes

Pages/Word Count: 98 Pages

Rating: 4 Stars

Blurb: Falling for a coworker is rarely a good idea, especially for a man getting a last chance at salvaging his career. But from the moment Dwyer Knolls sees the beautiful but socially awkward Takeo Hiroyuki, he seems destined to make bad decisions.

Takeo’s life is a string of failed attempts to please his traditional Japanese father. Unfortunately, succeeding in business turns out to be just as difficult for Takeo as changing from gay to straight. In fact, the only thing Takeo seems to truly excel at is taking notice of Dwyer Knolls.

When Dwyer and Takeo head to Mangrove, Florida on a real estate buying trip, their tentative friendship combusts and becomes much more. Is their sudden connection real enough to bank their futures on, or should they chalk the whole thing up to the daze inspired by the blue ocean breeze?

Review: There are many things in life that are given. The sun will rise, the sky is blue, grass is green, and Mary Calmes will write a story that, no matter what, will suck me in and leave me happier for having read it. Blue Days is no exception to this rule.

Dwyer Knolls and Takeo Hiroyuki were not my favorite characters written by Ms. Calmes, but honestly, she has set her own bar pretty darned high. Even if they weren’t my all-time favorite, they were still very well written, completely fleshed out and interesting.

Dwyer is a man who feels that he is surviving on borrowed time at his job, and this could very well be his last chance at success. The most difficult part for him about the new direction of his job is his new co-worker/boss. Takeo is a man who is not highly respected by his peers or subordinates. They view him as an entitled young man who is only employed because of his family connections. Dwyer is the only person who gets a glimpse behind the facade Takeo wears in public, and he is the only person Takeo has any interest in.

While both men do their best to fight their mutual attraction, a series of events leads them to travel together, and the two men give in to their attraction. That leads them to a point in their relationship where they have to take a critical look at their lives and decide what they want for their future. A fortunate opportunity comes their way; they just have to be brave enough to take what they want for a better future.

Ms. Calmes managed to, yet again, tug at my heartstrings and draw me into another one of her fabulously built worlds and completely entertain me. Even through a short story, she created deep characters with full backgrounds and believability. If you enjoy reading her previous books, then I believe you can’t go wrong with this short but sweet love story. I would highly recommend this little gem of a story to existing fans, and if you haven’t tried out a Mary Calmes story before, this could be a great place for you to begin.